Nine confirmed cases, 28 suspected, and six deaths that may be linked. That was the tally Jamaica’s health minister, Christopher Tufton, gave on Friday as he declared a leptospirosis outbreak in the wake of Hurricane Melissa.
The Category 5 storm hit the island on October 28 and dropped some 30 inches (76 cm) of rain, causing catastrophic flooding and landslides. Officials say the stagnant, contaminated water left behind has become a breeding ground for the disease. The nine confirmed cases were logged between October 30 and November 20.
How the bacteria get in
Leptospirosis travels through water or soil fouled by the urine of infected animals such as rodents. It can enter through cuts in the skin, or through the eyes, nose and mouth.
Early on it looks like flu: fever, headache, muscle aches. In the worst cases it turns severe and can kill, causing kidney failure, liver damage, meningitis and heavy internal bleeding.
“The outbreak follows the passage of the storm which has created conditions that have increased the risk of exposure to contaminated water and soil,” Tufton told a press conference. Anyone who comes into contact with floodwater could be at risk, he warned, including “farmers, persons engaged in cleanup activities, emergency responders and others navigating flood areas.”
A storm still costing the island
Jamaican officials put the damage from Melissa at an estimated $10 billion. The hurricane crippled the key tourism and agriculture sectors and damaged nearly 200,000 buildings, Reuters reported.
